Cosmology 1

1 Describe the generation of the cosmos, and what is done in ADF ritual to ensure that the cosmos remains in order. (300 words min.)

In the beginning there was mist, and in that mist was a cow (probably), and two guys. One guy killed the other one, and maybe also the cow, and built the world out of the dismembered bits. Then we showed up and said 兎eeewww, thanks for the Cosmos but couldn't you have just cut up a loaf of bread?”

Many IE cultures share a genesis myth involving the dismemberment of a primary figure to create the Cosmos. The Cosmos, through sacrifice, is carved out of Chaos, and given shape and function. The ancient myths generally offer associations between body parts and aspects of the cosmos; the skull or head as the dome of the sky, blood as the salt sea, and flesh/bones the soil of the earth. Much of the ritual work of Ancient IE priests was to re-affirm that Cosmic Order and to strengthen/restore it through sacrifices echoing the original. By imitating the original sacrifice, power was sent to the Cosmos and its shape was maintained.

Within ADF we see ourselves as following in the footsteps of those ancient priests. Though we do not slaughter humans or animals, we make sacrifices to reinforce the Cosmic Order and to provide power to the Cosmos and the Kindreds. The structure of ADF ritual is a proscribed set of steps, we stand at the center of the Cosmos, the beings addressed and the way they are addressed is relatively uniform (with cultural variations but all within a strictly IE structure), sacrifices are made to the Kindreds through the Gate, and gifts are sent to us from the Kindreds back through the Gate. All of this adds up to what we think of as Right Action謡e do things this way and at these times, this is the right way, by doing it this way we reinforce the Order. Every ADF ritual performed strengthens and re-affirms our understanding of the Cosmos.

To that end was developed the ADF Core Order of Ritual. This tool allows members and priests who have never met to work collectively to re-establish and maintain the Order, ever enlivened by spontaneous praise offerings (a method of inviting a little Chaos in to keep the Cosmos' metabolism healthy). While I suspect many of those performing ADF ritual are not consciously attempting to keep the cosmos in order, the beauty of the CoOR is that it happens anyway.

1 Describe the physical items that exemplify the sacred center in ADF ritual, and how each constituent part reflects the vision of an ordered cosmos. (300 words min.)

The Triple Center of ADF ritual most commonly consists of Fire, Well, and Tree (though only the Fire is required). Vedics may center ritual around three separate fires and it is not unusual to find Hellens performing ritual around a Fire, Well, and Mountain/Stone/Pillar. However, it has been my personal tradition as well as most culturally appropriate for my Druidry to work with a Triple Center consisting of fire, Well, and Tree.

The Well sinks to the depths of the center of the Earth where flow the inchoate waters that are both the beginning of life and decaying end of life. The Well taps the river flowing through the halls of the dead. The Well taps into endless salt sea surrounding us.

The Fire is built on the center of the Earth and rises to the heavens where flames the light of the Cosmos. The Fire consumes our offerings and it smoke sails to sky. The Fire climbs to the heights where the gods have built their halls.

The Tree grows at the center of the Earth, solid in our midst. Around its trunk move all the worlds. Its roots reach down into the graves of our beloved dead. Its roots twine amongst our Ancestors' bones. Its branches stretch into the sky reaching always for the heavenly fires. Its branches support the shining halls of the gods.

ADF ritual takes place in the center; the center of the worlds, the center of the realms. In the center of the Grove stand three items that bring firmly to mind the realms in which we work and Kindreds with whom we work. The realm of the Sky is reached by the flames and smoke of the Fire. The depths of the Earth and the waters of the Sea are reached by the depth of the Well. And the Axis of it all is the World Tree.

1 Explain the divisions of the cosmos in ADF ritual, and why the cosmos is divided in this way. (300 words min.)

Within ADF ritual, the Cosmos is divided into three parts. Why? We divide the Cosmos this way because our Ancestors did. Sources overwhelming indicate that our IE Ancestors held a view of the Cosmos divided into thirds with each section being home to particular tribes of spirits or beings. Within ADF we agree to this. However, just what or where these three Cosmic parts are is arguable.

We know the Celts oathed by Land, Sea, and Sky and this division is perhaps slightly more traditional within the ADF structure as our roots are rather Celtophilic. In this structure the Dead exist 澱eyond the ninth waveof the Sea, and living roam the Land which may also be inhabited by the Sidhe who live under the mound. Leaving the Sky for whatever gods aren't under the Land or wading about in the Sea (or some combination of the two like Manannan).

A division along the lines of a Vertical Axis (Upper, Middle, Lower realms) used largely by the Greeks and Romans is also a common practice within ADF. In such a system of division the Dead reside in the Underworld, the living (that's us) inhabit the Middleworld, and the Gods (along with a few heroes and some elevated ancestors) live in the Upperworld.

The 9 worlds of the Norse fit into this tripartite structure as well though individual Asatru will debate what the 9 Realms are and where they ought to be situated. I established the practice in my Grove of grouping Hel, Jotunheim, and Svartalfheim in the Lowerworld; Midgard, Muspelheim, and Niflheim in the Middleworld; and Asgard, Alfheim, and Vanaheim in the Upperworld.

Vedic sources offer us a division of the Cosmos into the terrestrial realm, the lowest, where we live; the atmospheric home of a few gods; and the Celestial realm in which live many more gods.

So, in ADF we deal with a three-part Cosmos one way or another. I would argue that many Druids work in a Vertical Axis/Three Worlds paradigm and connect the Sea/Lowerworld with the Well; the Land/Middleworld with the Tree; and the Sky/Upperworld with the Fire.

1 Explain why the fire is an essential element of ADF ritual, and what relation it has to the sacrifice. (150 words min.)

“Let us pray with a good fire, These words from the Rig Veda signal the opening of every ritual in my grove. It is not surprising that when ADF distilled the many customs into our current Core Order of Ritual, the Fire was the one hallow deemed mandatory among all the representations of aspects of the Triple Center. The Fire plays a part in the bulk of rituals and religious practices recorded among the IE peoples.

In Vedic practice, Agni, personified by the Fire, received all sacrifices and then distributed them to the assembled gods. Agni was invited to ritual first and only through him could the gifts of men be communicated to the gods. He stood as the Priest to the Gods, His presence in the realm of man indicated by the ritual flames before which stood the human priest. One fiery circuit and one we recreate in every ritual. Additionally, the Fire physically exists through the three realms, built on the earth, moving through the middle realm, trailing into the heavens. The ADF ritual fire receives our gifts to the gods, and by the Fire's light, we read the Omen proclaiming their gifts to us.

1 Describe the purpose and function of the Gatekeeper in ADF ritual. Explain also who or what makes a good Gatekeeper, along with why they do, with at least two examples of mythological figures that could fill the role of a Gatekeeper and give an explanation of why they can. (300 words min.)

Within ADF ritual practice, the gatekeeper assists in the magical act of opening the Gates between the worlds. While the folk always retain the ability to connect and communicate with the Kindreds, the open gates of ritual ease communication and increase the connection between Folk and Kindreds. When it is time to open the gates, we invite and make offering to a Gatekeeper who will join his/her/its will, energy, and magic with that of the Folk to open, and hold open, and later close the gates.

An appropriate Gatekeeper is liminal in nature; meaning they are associated with boundaries and in-between places. A being whose existence is rooted in more than one realm or who specializes with traveling between realms is ideal. It is generally understood within ADF that the gatekeeper is easily contacted even before the gates are opened due to their partial presence in this realm already.

In a Celtic context Manannan MacLir is a perennial favorite choice as gatekeeper. He straddles land and Sea, has oracular tendencies (temporal liminality), is known to walk occasionally in the realm of humans, and has some psychopomp duties. I believe that the long tradition within ADF of calling Manannan as a gatekeeper has forged a strong tie between Him and the organization and simply through calling him repeatedly as gatekeeper has allowed Him to become a stronger gatekeeper (practice makes perfect?).

Within a Greek pantheon an obvious choice for Gatekeeper would be Hermes; the messenger of the gods, taking messages from Olympus to the mortal world, as well as a renown psychopomp. His association with doorways and travelers in addition to His role moving between all three realms perhaps makes Him the best qualified Gatekeeper ever. However one Homeric hymn refers to him as a 鍍hief at the gates,so perhaps one ought to exercise caution and call on Iris instead.

“By Fire and by Water/ Between the Earth and Sky/ We stand like the World Tree/ Rooted deep, crowned high.”

If we in ADF intend to perform our rituals at the center of all realms, it is imperative that we not neglect to establish ourselves firmly between the Earth and the Sky. The Earth, our Mother, supports us , nourishes us, and receives our remains. Through the Earth moves the Waters of Chaos, of entropy, of potential. Above us soars the Sky and contained with it burns the Fire of Cosmic Creation. In the Center the Earth and the Sky meet; Cosmos meets Chaos and that unity engenders life and magic. Without Earth, the Sky burns every brittle thing. Without the Sky the Earth would swallow every soggy thing.

The Two Powers meditation is a tool by which the Druid can balance Earth and Sky within him/herself and come, centered and enlivened, before the Kindreds.

1 Summarize each of the five contexts of sacrifice in Rev. Thomas' "The Nature of Sacrifice" paper in your own words. Explain the effect of sacrifice on the cosmos and on the participants. (100 words min. for each context, 150 words min. for effect.)

Sacrifice, according to Rev. Kirk Thomas, can be understood in 5 contexts (4 Ancient, 1 Modern).Maintaining the Cosmic Order: Many IE cultures share an understanding of the creation of the Cosmos. From the body of a man/god/twin is constructed the world. The Rig Veda and Prose Edda both offer detailed descriptions of the dismemberment with specific associations between body parts and components of the physical world. IE priests symbolically recreated this act of creation through ritual sacrifice. These sacrifices reaffirmed the Cosmic Order but also served to strengthen the Cosmos which, over time, could diminish. What horrors would await the Folk if the Cosmos were allowed to disintegrate? Additionally, the folk could be strengthened in turn by the sacrifice. The essence of the slaughtered beast feeds the Cosmos, the roasted flesh of the beast feeds the Folk.

Delivering Services through Gifts: Perhaps the most involved context of sacrifice. Here is were we find the notion of reciprocity connected to sacrifice, 殿 gift for a gift. Whether the sacrifice be fruit, butter, oxen, people (yikes), poetry, dance, incense, objets d'arte, ale, etc. a gift is given, therefor a gift must given in return. With a gift comes obligation. The recipient is obliged to offer a gift of their own. A common understanding was that each participant in this *ghosti relationship gave according to their means. A lord/patron gave wealth or tools, while the less financially solvent person gave services, labor, or, in Rome, perhaps their vote. Proper sacrifice in a Vedic context could equal the gift of heaven after death. I believe within ADF this is the most common understanding of sacrifice and the context in which the word is most often used.

Providing Protection: Sacrifice in this context involves the most delightful vocabulary; Apotropaic,and Piacular. Makes you want to shove a goat off a cliff just so you can say those words, right? Me, too. These sacrifices fall into two categories; preventative and reparative. Apotropaic sacrifices are those intended to keep evil at bay, IE: Outdweller offerings. At the other end are sacrifices meant to repair mistakes or remove some sort of taint, either physical or spiritual. ADF custom increasingly includes piacular sacrifice within a rite; an offering made to apologize for any mistakes during the ritual; a sort of appeasement. Included in these reparative sacrifices is the scapegoat-an animal (or item for us Moderns who eschew animal sacrifice) is brought into close contact with the group/city/folk for some amount of time in order to 殿bsorbthe evil influence. The destruction or removal of the scapegoat purifies the group.

Commensality: In this context sacrifice is a shared meal. The Divine extracts part of the food and the Folk eat the rest. This form of sacrifice is seen throughout IE cultures and beyond. The bonds formed when people sit and eat together are undeniable and have been an aspect of tribe-building throughout history. It is only natural to assume that sharing a meal with the gods will strengthen those bonds as well. What a better way to commune with the Kindreds than by offering them food and drink, like a good host, and sharing in the repast with them while receiving their guest-gifts at the same time?

Chaos Mitigates Cosmos: According the the Oxford English Dictionary, Ritual means 殿 religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. So, the same steps over and over and over. BORING! While humans strive to carve order from chaos and, indeed, the majority of rites performed by our Ancestors were aimed at doing just that, too much order leads to stagnation. Stagnation is not life. A measured amount of chaos (irony anyone?) invigorates ritual. ADF ritual invites chaos in through praise offerings. These, often spontaneous and largely unpredictable, sacrifices exist within the ordered confine of the ADF liturgy and serve to bring life into the ritual, to mitigate what could otherwise be stodgy and dull.

Effect: ADF ritual is largely concerned with sacrifice. In fact most priests of my acquaintance consider the entire ritual itself a sacrifice and refer to the gifts made within ritual as 登fferings. The meaning of sacrifice is, 鍍o make sacred. Our sacrifices impact the Cosmos and subtly change us as well. Each ritual, each sacrifice realigns the Cosmos and re-establishes the natural order of the world/s. A not uncommon view is that our every sacrifice serves to strengthen the Kindreds and allow them greater sway in the world. The offerings we make to the Kindreds enable the Kindreds to interact with and gift us in return. We may be as nourished by sacrifice and the reciprocity it engenders, as are the Kindreds and Cosmos. Through the Shared Meal we are physically nourished and the non-physical gifts/blessings we receive enrich our lives. Sacrifice draws us closer to Them and strengthens us spiritually which, mental health professionals tend to agree, is very healthy. We grow as people and as spiritual beings when we interact with the Kindreds and sacrifice is the beginning as well as the heart of that interaction.

1 What does it mean to be "purified" in ADF ritual? Why is purification important? What must be purified, and who may do the purification? (150 words min.)

Within the context of an ADF ritual, 菟urifiedgenerally means 菟hysically and spiritual ready for ritual. ADF offers only vague advice as to what is involved in purification and puts no requirements on what should happen to what or whom. Nevertheless, purification has to happen, somehow, before the gates are opened. Participants, tools, and space may all be purified.

Purification may be seen as a clearing away of harmful or negative elements, either from one's person or the intended ritual space/tools. This can take the form of asperging or washing, (symbolically or actually). Alternately, instead of the removal of the undesirable, Purification may involve the addition of the desirable. Anointing and censing would be the most common application of Purification-through-Addition. Additionally, that which must be made ready for ritual may be marked; a person/tool anointed or the space circled. The custom of making an offering to the Outsiders is another form of Purification.

Regardless of method, ADF requires that action be taken to prepare for ritual. The conscious act of Purification means the Druid acknowledges that the space and time of ritual is different than the space and time of mundane life. When one goes into the presence of the Kindreds, one has made an effort to do so properly and respects the experience.

1 In many rituals we call for the blessings of the Kindreds. Where do these blessings come from, how are they provided to the folk, and why are we entitled to them? (200 words min.)

“A gift for a gift,concisely describes the Return Flow portion of ADF ritual practice. The bulk of ritual involves sacrifice to the Kindreds (Natures Spirits, Ancestors, Goddens). After being invited to the Nemeton, it is only polite, as good hosts, that Druids offer gifts, tokens, food, and drink to their guests. The principle of *ghosti is one of reciprocity; it describes the relationship between guest and host. Offering hospitality and exchanging gifts forges bonds between beings and each exchange strengthens those bonds, (a gentler word than, 登bligation,though that is applicable as well).

“I give so that you may give,these words get to the heart of the most accessible aspect of the reciprocal relationship between Druid and Kindred. In ritual we sacrifice and offer gifts to the Kindreds. They in turn make gifts to us and the cycle of hospitality turns. The act of our giving earns us the ability to accept gifts from the Kindreds.

These gifts typically come in the form of blessings, wisdom, or advice. Whether the gifts come solely from all of the assembled Kindreds or from a specific subset thereof, (IE: solely the Deity/ies of the Occasion), is determined by the ritual language of the participating Druids. Commonly, unless otherwise specified, I believe the Blessing is assumed to come from all of the assembled Kindreds. At least that has been my experience.

The Blessing is typically distributed to the Folk by means of Hallowed Waters ingested by or sprinkled on the recipients. However, channeling the Blessing into physical objects which are then distributed to the folk is not uncommon. My grove occasionally hallows some food item that is then consumed. Whatever Blessing Delivery System is used, the desired result is that each individual in ritual has a share of the gift from the Kindred/s.

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